I've been working on cars my whole life. I grew up in a time when all motor was the way to go. Now days everyone is all about the superchargers, turbos and NOS. Don't get me wrong I love the sound and power a turbo or supercharger gives, but what ever happend to building the motor and make the power that way? I know the main arguement is going to be cost. For $3k you can get about 400hp with FI. To do an entire engine build would run about $7k, but man making power out of all motor just appeals to me so much. I must be getting old. Haha.

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I think it has as much to do with the factories squeezing a lot more out of the engine to begin with as it is does the cost. There isn't as much left to get with basic bolt-ons as there used to be, And when you figure in the hassles of emission controls and working with electronic tuning rather then re-jetting a carb or re-curving a distributor it makes sense that power adders have become what most people go these days...

If I was building a 351C or a 427 or something like that I'd definitely go all motor, but with a modern engine power adders make too much sense...

I turned 16 in 1987, so I got my start with old worn out muscle cars. A 1971Olds Cutlass Supreme to be exact. I gotta say, even though I was pretty good with 'em, I don't miss Quadrajets, or points for that matter. Back then there was diffinatly alot left on the table with 80's vehicles. The Buick GN and Fox bodies were the only relatively fast American cars. The bowtie brigade sucked, and that includes the all mighty Corvette. Chrystler was a joke, although the little 2.2 Omnis were pretty quick. My dad had one and we both enjoyed smoking mouthy V8 drivers. I still miss the good ole days, but, my 03 outclasses everything from that era. When i say that, I'm talking about when 80's fox's were new. Not the worked over, tuned up masterpieces that they have become.

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I'm just amazed at how incredible the 2013+ GT500s are, to get 662hp and not have to pay the gas guzzler tax is nothing short of a miracle. I think FI and nitrous has become so popular because of how much easier it is to get huge gains from essentially a bolt on component. If they made FI tech as well as they do today back then, I'm sure everyone would have gone FI. That said, I admire people who stick with N/A and do full builds.

What bothers me is that when I was 12 years old, you could find an old Cutlass, Chevelle, Nova, Mustang, Dart, etc. at a reasonable price and build substantial power with cam, head and intake swaps or headers and gears. By the time I started shopping for my first vehicle, Barrett Jackson and baby boomers sent the price of old American v8 cars into orbit. I learned how to work on those old cars because of other people that had them. I would love to own one but to this day cant justify the costs.

There's no going back now. Emission law, fuel costs, and the cost of horsepower these days prevents the torque monsters from re-emerging. Turbos, superchargers, and nitrous are evening the odds though. My car isn't a slouch against a lot of the old pushrod cars. Not to mention handle better, play CDs,and operate reliably, all while cranking the AC.

I'd love to build another Cutlass, but yeah the price is crazy. A shell costs $3000+. There is so much more available for Oldsmobiles now though. If I ever win the lottery...... Kinda hard though since I live in the gambling capitol of the world, but it won't allow a lottery.

Super Mod

Don't know what you're talking about. Us pushrod OHV guys are still doing it on motor. The 4.6L just has it rough because the market isn't flooded with endless top end combo's for you the Modular's like they are the OHV's. Stroker combos aren't really a viable option, so your only alternative is a power adder. Buzzing the top end of the tach is cool, but it's tough owning a car that seems to only make it up top. A V8's gotta make a lot of torque down low.

A positive displacement supercharger was the first mod I made to my last 4.6L. I'd never own another without one.

I talked to a guy at a car show this year. He brought his $48000 68 Charger RT with a 440 auto and his 09 GT500. He said the Charger was explosive with low end power. The GT500 would catch it and beat it but the Charger was instant right foot gratification. He went on about how much more controlled the GT500's power is with its engine management and throttle by wire.

He also explained how it took him 3 years to get his Charger to the annual show. The first year it leaked fuel. The second year it broke down on the way to the show. That's a fully restored $48000 car that couldn't drive 20 minutes to a car show, 2 years in a row.

That would make me furious but then again I don't have his money and certainly not his patients. The old cars have character and are, as he said, "explosive" and less controlled.

Kornnut is right about technology replacing displacement. Still there's something to be said for the old style of power production.

Why does no one build an all motor 4.6? Simple. Because it doesn't make sense. It's the same reason most people don't take a 95 Corolla and work it up, or a 92 Ford E-150 van, or whatever. You can do it so much easier and cheaper with FI, and make more power to boot.

Well, mine has been ported for about a month now, and as of two days ago, pullied as well. Right at 10 pounds of boost. Getting re-tuned in a couple of weeks. Have barely even gotten on it since Sunday, and I can already tell a massive difference (even with it REALLY rich and a decent bit of timing pulled out).

Super Mod

Well, mine has been ported for about a month now, and as of two days ago, pullied as well. Right at 10 pounds of boost. Getting re-tuned in a couple of weeks. Have barely even gotten on it since Sunday, and I can already tell a massive difference (even with it REALLY rich and a decent bit of timing pulled out).

Gonna try and go for the SVO blower record now.

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Mine was an S-Ported M90, so it's top end potential was going to be limited no matter what...but man did it ever come on quick in the bottom end. I made 465lbs/ft with it....350lbs/ft of which came on as low as 1,800RPM. Made that big 4,000lb Cougar of mine feel a lot lighter than it really was.